In the last few years before the outbreak of the Second World War, Brough-Superior
had switched from JAP power units, to employ instead the 990 cc Matchless
vee-twin — side-valve for the Brough-Superior SS80, overhead-valve for
the SS100. Yet the odd thing was that Matchless themselves offered a very
pleasant vee-twin tourer, with precisely the same engine as supplied to
Brough-Superior and just as well-equipped. It was just that George Brough
charged £9O for his SS80, while Matchless, without all the ballyhoo
and razzmatazz of Brough salesmanship, listed their Model X at only £69
15s!

In fact the Matchless factory had been noted for big vee-twins since
before the First World War, originally with engines by MAG or JAP, but
by the mid-'thirties the Model X enjoyed a gently bovine engine designed
and built on the Flumstead premises. It was 'designed for the big-twin
enthusiast and, of course, with a special eye for heavy-duty sidecar work',
to which end the 1936 version had been given more robust rear frame members.

However (as George Brough was aware), there were plenty of enthusiasts
around who rather liked the idea of a big 'thousand', ridden solo, so at
the end of the 1936 season the Model X was revamped and given the catalogue
name of Sports Tourist, with a new shorter-wheelbase frame which put the
machine on a par with a 500 cc single, as regards roadholding and steering.

The Motor Cycle road-tested the Model X in May 1937, and commented 'As
soon as the machine is on the move the rider forgets that he is astride
a heavyweight machine. The Matchless could be ridden feet-up at speeds
well below the register of the speedometer without any juggling with the
handlebars. At slightly higher speeds the steering was comfortably light,
but even when the machine was being cruised at over 60 mph it did not become
so light as to necessitate-use of the damper.

The excellent roadholding of the Matchless probably accounted to some
extent for the effortless way in which it could be cornered. The big machine
could be laid well over on fast corners without any sign of snaking or
wandering On wet roads the Matchless was perfectly stable. Wet tramlines
caused the rider no tremors, and on none of the slippery surfaces encountered
was a skid experienced. On particularly greasy surfaces the steering tended
to become rather light, but this was more a feeling than a fact, for the
model never showed any tendency to get out of control.'

Performance of the 990 cc engine was described as 'delightful', and
it would accelerate hard in top gear without any trace of snatch from as
low as 20 mph. Not really a speedster it would not be expected of a side-valve,
anyway - it would clock up just over 80 mph, and reach 70 mph from a standing
start in a quarter of a mile. Particular note was made of the prop-stand,
which flew up immediately the bike was brought back to the vertical, a
feature which is now compulsory on bikes sold in the USA.

Understandably, the Model X did not feature in competition work, for
that was not its metier. Instead, it was a highly comforting machine, with
a quiet heartbeat and a- gentle loping gait which ate up the miles effortlessly.
As the 1937 tester put it, the bike 'comes into that aristocratic class
of motorcycles that are riders' mounts'. Hear, hear to that!